Each semester, students from Ireland swap their universities in Galway and Dublin for a semester in South Bend at Notre Dame. Through their home universities’ exchange program, they experience American college life — from dorm living and classroom participation to game-day traditions.
For Liam Carmody, a business student from Dublin City University, arriving in South Bend felt like stepping into a movie set. “I feel like every weekend I see something that makes me think, ‘Wow, this is like I’m in a movie or something,’” Carmody said. “It’s definitely exceeded my expectations.”
Carmody, originally from County Kerry (on the southwest coast of Ireland), is spending the semester in the Mendoza College of Business, taking marketing and entrepreneurship courses. He said studying abroad in the United States had always been a dream.
“When I was going to college originally, I had always wanted to move abroad,” he said. “The opportunity to see different cultures was always appealing to me … and I’ve kind of always seen college in America through movies and thought it looked really fun.”
Carmody said his choice to study at Notre Dame was influenced by his family.
“My cousin went here as an undergraduate,” he said. “I always used to get some merch and hear him talking about it. When I had the choice of five or six colleges, I knew straight away I wanted to come here.”
Living in Morrissey Hall, Carmody said the dorm culture is one of his favorite parts of Notre Dame life. “The football is unbelievable, but the dorm really feels like a family,” he said. “There’s so much involvement — I didn’t expect it to be so tight-knit.”
For Patrick McGuinness, a student from the University of Galway residing in Keough Hall, communal dorms and shared meals were a major adjustment.
“When I first came here, the dorms were a shock,” McGuinness said. “Back home, everyone has their own room and bathroom, and we cook for ourselves. Here, it’s shared spaces and dining halls. It took some getting used to.”
He said the change, while challenging, helped him meet new people quickly.
“Once I met other Irish students, it started to feel like home,” McGuinness said. “We get together for meals or just to talk about how different everything is.”
Both students said they noticed many differences in classroom culture compared to their universities in Ireland.
“At home, you could go the whole semester without attending class and still pass the final exam,” McGuinness said. “Here, you’re constantly graded on participation and weekly assignments. The smaller classes mean professors really get to know you.”
Carmody agreed, noting that engagement is expected at every lecture. “Classes here are a lot more rigorous. You’re constantly being asked questions, and professors notice when you’re not there,” he said.
McGuinness added that Notre Dame faculty, such as communications director Colleen Wilcox, make the experience engaging. “She’s so personable and makes every class interesting. You can tell she cares about her students, and that makes a big difference,” he said.
Outside the classroom, Notre Dame’s campus culture stood out to both students. “The whole football culture here is unbelievable,” McGuinness said. “The tailgates, the marching band, the student section — it’s something we’d only ever seen in movies back home. The first time I went to a game, I couldn’t believe the noise. I even got lifted up for touchdown push-ups once — my glasses broke, but it was worth it.”
Carmody also praised the sense of community on campus. “The dorm culture and student engagement here really stand out,” he said. “Everyone gets involved, and it makes the experience memorable.”
According to Megan Knobloch, senior assistant director of global engagement programs, Notre Dame hosts roughly 40–50 exchange students each semester through bilateral agreements with over 35 partner institutions worldwide.
“Tuition is waived for these students because it’s a bilateral agreement — we send students to them, and they send students to us,” Knobloch said. “The home institutions nominate students based on their own admissions process, and we then finalize admission for Notre Dame.”
Knobloch said students are encouraged, but not required, to participate in clubs, campus activities and cultural seminars. “We try to integrate them fully into campus life and academics,” she said. “They bring different academic perspectives and intercultural experiences that enrich our classrooms and community.”
Students contribute by sharing unique insights from their home universities, adapting to dorm life and participating in campus traditions. “Many of them haven’t lived in dorms before, so they bring a lot of independence and new perspectives,” Knobloch said.
Both Carmody and McGuinness said the experience has been transformative and encouraged other students to consider studying abroad.
“It’s probably been the best three months of my life so far,” Carmody said. “There’s no amount of money that could buy the experience you get here — the people you meet and the opportunities you have.”
McGuinness added, “Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Everyone here is welcoming. You’ll only get as much out of it as you put in.”
